Climate Change/Environment

07/22/2014

The view of the Bund in Shanghai, already one of the world’s most epic urban waterfront panoramas, just became even more striking with the public art installation of The Ninth Wave by renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The rustic fishing boat originates from Cai’s hometown of Quanzhou, which is located in China’s southern Fujian province. Aboard are 99 fabricated animals, such as camels, apes, pandas, tigers, and deer, strewn haphazardly throughout the boat. The roving installation...
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03/24/2014

Follow the Leaders, Isaac Cordal’s striking public art installation in Berlin, Germany, offers a pretty clear commentary on world leaders' lack of action on climate change. It would be wonderful to someday see public art of this caliber on the streets of Los Angeles as well.
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11/11/2013

“The climate change battle will be won or lost in Asia,” a former White House national security director recently remarked during a symposium on current Asia-Pacific geopolitics. According to him this is a generally accepted concept in most US policy discussions when it comes to the environment, resources, and capacity building issues that primarily arose after the devastating 2004 tsunami. While climate change is clearly an international concern, Asia’s massive population, unique resources, and geography...
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06/27/2013

Sharing an affinity for a certain type of regional food or dish can be a simple yet positive thing for different people and countries--gastrodiplomacy has been utilized by many states to share their cuisines with the world, giving contemporary as well as historical context to local diets, economies, and traditions. But beyond the delicious, I often wonder about what tangible developments can occur after everyone clears their plates and leaves the table. Currently, India and...
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04/16/2013

China's latest national defense paper, published today, has some fascinating notes on "some country" that has "strengthened its Asia-Pacific military alliances, expanded its military presence in the region, and frequently makes the situation more tense." While the paper's significance is mostly symbolic (such publishings are rarely read by the country's military higher-ups), most strategists would probably agree that the overall message dances around the United States and the Obama administration's "pivot to Asia." This Asia...
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12/18/2012

Hidden water reserves were recently discovered and mapped across the African continent. Lying thousands of miles beneath the terrain, these untouched aquifers could be critical paths to new approaches regarding climate change and food production (click image for high-res version): Related research: quantitative maps of groundwater around Africa and climate change in Africa.
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12/04/2012

Surfing continues to grow in China, thanks to Hainan Island's temperate climate and ideal waters. Although many Chinese citizens aren't completely familiar with the sport, surfing is swiftly expanding throughout the country as both young men and women are finally beginning to take advantage of their attractive coastlines. This is only a win-win for everybody. Surfers tend to be really in tuned with the world's water issues for obvious reasons, so hopefully this new generation...
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11/29/2012

Dozens of artists in India's Bihar region are painting trees using a tribal art form called Madhubani in order to spare them from being cut down. The Bihar state currently has one of the lowest forest coverage areas in India, coming in at less than 7%. Despite the area's flooding problems due to lack of vegetation, climate change is not a well known subject among the native villagers. This unique project was started in September...
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05/16/2012

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is considering a proposal from Japanese investors to lease Pagan Island as a dumping ground for debris from Japan's devastating tsunami of March 2011. This biologically unique island is home to several threatened and endangered species (such as the single island endemic subspecies of the Mariana fruit bat, pictured below) that are already trying to survive under challenging circumstances (Pagan is a prime choice for US military training/testing)....
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